You've changed, Echizen
by BookPrincess28
Summary: They were angry at him because of a crime he didn't commit and he didn't know what to do. Then, he was forced to go back to America for the reaping. Three years later, he's back. But, he was no longer the cocky and arrogant player everyone used to know. He was cold-hearted, ruthless, cunning and vicious. Pairings undecided, and do review so I can improve.
1. Three years ago

**A/N: Hello, everyone, this is my new story. Pairings are undecided; I'll thank you if you'll help me decide. Well, this is sort of a cross over with Hunger Games and POT….again, but don't worry, it's predominantly POT. So Anyway on with the story!**

"_I bet you Echizen was the one who did this." said Momoshiro. "His items were the only ones that didn't get stolen after all." The regulars nodded, and agreed. _

_Lately, some of the regulars' items were stolen. Momo's bicycle key, Tezuka's glasses, Eiji's keychain, you name it. Only Echizen's items were spared, and the regulars began suspected him to be the thief. Therefore, when Ryoma came in late (as usual) Momo shouted, "Echizen! Where's my bicycle key?" Ryoma looked puzzled. "What bicycle key?" Momo was fuming. "The KEY to MY BICYCLE, you moron!" he yelled. "Tell me where it is now! Or I'll have to report to the police!" Ryoma blinked. "Oh yeah, while you are at it, ask him where's my keychain as well!" Eiji cried. "That was a birthday present from my sister!" he wailed. Oishi went to comfort him, while glaring at Ryoma at the same time. "I did not steal your items, I swear I-" he tried to say but was cut off by Fuji. "Give me back my book on cactus right now, Echizen. We know you have it, and I would like to have it back NOW." _

_"What are you talking about?" Ryoma asked. "I don't even know you own a book on cactus."_

"_LIAR! Now give it back, you bastard!" shouted Fuji. _

_"I don't-"_

_"Save it" Oishi said cutting him off._

_He looked around the room, but everyone was still glaring at him, even Momo, Eiji and Tezuka so he ran from the room, tears streaming down. 'They don't trust me anymore' he thought. Just then, he bumped into the Student Council Vice-President, Marina. "Oh, there you are, Ryoma. You are needed in the Principal's office immediately. Could you follow me?" she said. Ryoma nodded, and followed her. When he opened the door, he found his father sitting there. "Oyaji!" he cried. "What brings you here?" His father looked up. "Tomorrow is the reaping for the Seventy-Second Hunger Games. I need you to pack your bags, we're leaving tonight." The Hunger Games is an annual televised event where the ruthless Capitol randomly selects one boy and one girl, each between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the twelve districts, pitting them against each other in a game of survival where they are forced to fight one another to the death. The victor then wins a new house for themselves and their families in their District, along with food, fame, and wealth. If you don't turn up for the reaping, you'll be imprisoned._

"_Oyaji, how long will I be there?"_

"_Three years. Due to the trouble of going there only for the reaping and then coming back, I decided that you'll finish your education in America (Panem was once known as North America after all). You'll come back for high school."_

"_Yes dad." said Ryoma._

_After they went over more details Ryoma went back to his room to pack. He decided I wouldn't say goodbye. His 'friends' probably didn't want to see him anyway, since they thought of him as a thief. He packed most of his stuff since he would be there for three years due to his education. After he got ready he made his way outside to the car that would take him to the airport._

"_Farewell, Ryoma-san! I'll miss you!" Nanako said as she hugged him._

_"I'll miss you too, Nanako-nee-chan" he replied. He went into his dad's awaiting car and they sped off to the airport. _

_The next day….._

_The regulars were called into the office. In the office, there was a boy with spiky hair that was dyed yellow. "We caught the person that stole your items this morning. He broke in using a hairpin to pick on the lock. The items he stole is in here." He waved towards a sack. The regulars went over and opened the sack, and sure enough, their items were inside. Momoshiro said, "Then where's my bicycle?" The principal smiled. "He took your bicycle to school this morning, so you can be sure it's in the bicycle parking lot."_

"_Then…the thief wasn't Echizen?" said Fuji._

_The principal shook his head. "Nope." _

_"I think we went too hard on him yesterday." Eiji said. "Where's Ochibi, nya? Did you see him?"_

"_Oh I know where he went alright." said the principal. The regulars turned. "Really? Where?" they said._

_"He left for America yesterday night." said the principal. Most of the regulars gasped in shock. "WHAT? WHY?" Momoshiro shouted. _

"_The reason is confidential, and I promised not to tell all of you."_

"_Do you know when he would be back?" said Oishi, squeezing Kikumaru's shoulder, as the latter looked depressed. _

"_Three years later." said the principal._

_"We should've trusted him…" said Fuji_

_"What do we do now?" Momo asked._

_"We could only wait for him to come back." Inui replied._

_The regulars looked at each other, and heaved a sigh. This is going to be a long three years…._

**A/N: Hmm…what do you think? I got this inspiration from a Chinese compo I read once, where a person is framed for stealing, and by the time they found out who is the real culprit, the person had already transferred schools. Do review! :D **


	2. Ryoma's return

**CR: Unfortunately for the first chapter, I only had half an hour to write it, so I had to come up with the chapter fast. I know I rushed a bit, but I only had a miserable half an hour. Unlike the Chinese compo, however, Ryoma would come back (in the compo, the innocent person who was accused changed schools, so he never came back). Ok, enough with my rambling, on with the story!**

The car came to a stop just through the gate and Ryoma stepped out. Instead of being followed by his parents, he was followed by a girl around 1.7m tall, with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. "Ryoma, wait up!" the girl cried, carrying his luggage. The boy turned and glared at the girl, and she faltered. He strode up the lawn, and knocked on the door. Nanako answered the door, and saw Ryoma. "Ryoma-san!" she cried, joy evident in her voice. "I missed you!" She went on to say as she hugged her cousin. "I'll allow you to call me Ryoma-san but hugging me is off-limits." Ryoma said coldly. He brushed past Nanako and went up to his room. Nanako turned to the girl. "Who are you, by the way?"

"Oh, my name's Candice Weinstein. I'm Ryoma's mentor for the Hunger Games. You see, he was chosen to participate in the Seventy-Second Hunger Games." She stepped in and placed Ryoma's luggage at the bottom of the stairs. "If you're wondering what happened to his parents, it was like this…let's talk in the living room." She took Nanako to the living room, and began her story.

"…And, that's what happened." said Candice, sipping her tea.

"I see. So that's what happened to Oji-san and Oba-san." said Nanako, whose expression darkened as Candice told Ryoma's story.

"Yes, I'm worried about him."

"Candice, I can't watch him in school. Since you are 17 going to be 18, could you help me take care of Ryoma-san when he's in school?"

"I will. After all, Nanjiroh and Rinko entrusted me with this task as well."

"That's a relief to hear."

"I'm really worried for him, Meino-san."

"Call me Nanako, Candice." said Nanako, smiling slightly.

"Oh, alright, Nanako. One more thing you need to know. After he won his Games, he gave up tennis completely." Candice sighed, as she took another sip of tea. "Apparently, he lost interest in it, and became more interested in wielding weapons, and always requesting for me to train with him in the weapon department."

Nanako nodded. "Right. Thank you for telling me, Candice."

The next day, Nanako woke Ryoma up as usual. "Ryoma, today's the first day of high school! You'll be going to Seigaku High (too lazy to think of a name), and you're in class 1-2. Candice, you'll be in class 3-1. I've got both your uniforms ready." Both of them grumbled, ate their breakfast, and changed into their uniforms. They brushed their hair and grabbed their book bags. Ryoma even grabbed his bow and arrow case, and they went off to school. The whole way to school, Ryoma coldly ignored his mentor, even when she gave him worried glances. When they arrived at school, Ryoma walked quickly to the registration office, with Candice trying to catch up to him. Unbeknownst to them, a boy with spiky black hair and purple eyes was watching them. 'Is that Echizen?' Momo thought. He took a closer look at the boy. 'By golly, it's him! I better go tell the others!' He quickly dashed to his morning practice, nearly bumping into the captain in the process. "What's up, Momo? Why are you running?" said Eiji. Momo, between pants, said, "I just saw Echizen going to the registration counter! I swear it's him!" The other regulars perked up. "Hontoni? You saw Ochibi?" said Eiji. Momo nodded. "Saa, I think we should see that for ourselves, shouldn't we?" said Fuji. The other regulars nodded. "But we don't know what class he's in!" said Oishi.

"Not to worry. We'll just search every classroom until we see him inside." said Fuji. They nodded, and went to the first year classroom corridors. They didn't need to find far, because when they looked in the first year classroom, they saw a girl handing Ryoma a bento box. "You nearly forgot this."

"Is that all?" said Ryoma, accepting the bento box.

"Er…yes." said the girl.

"If that's all… Get lost!" Ryoma snapped at her. She flinched. "A-alright!" she said, rushing out of his classroom. The regulars looked at the girl running as if her life depended on it. Eiji took this moment to shout, "Ochibi! Welcome ba-" but he cut Eiji off before he could finish.

"Don't call me that." he snapped. "Just because we used to be friends doesn't mean you can act that you know me! Now get lost!" The regulars flinched at his tone. "E-Echizen, what happened to you?" Momo reached out to grab Ryoma, but he merely threw Momo over his shoulder, and Momo landed on the floor. He pulled Momo's arms behind his back. He smirked at the other regulars, but that smirk was colder and told a malicious intent. "I don't need scum like you as friends." He hissed, as he bent Momo's arm. "I can break that arm as easily as I break a toothpick." He bent it further and Momo let out a yelp. Thank god the girl came back to the classroom at that moment, and shouted, "Ryoma! That's enough!" She pried Ryoma off Momo. "Candice, let go!" he snarled. Candice merely tightened her hold, and hissed in his ear, "Listen boy. I am your mentor, and you better do what I told you to do. Save your strength to our training later." She put him down, and Ryoma huffed. "Fine." He mumbled. "Now go away!" he snapped to the regulars. The regulars obeyed and backed off.

Once they were out of Ryoma's earshot, Eiji wailed, "Ochibi's so scary, nya!" Oishi patted his back as Eiji cried. Just then, Tezuka spoke up. "I need to get something from my classroom." The others nodded and followed Tezuka back to his classroom. When they went in, they saw the girl from earlier in the classroom. "Oh, hi." She said casually. "I was assigned to this class if you don't mind."

"Wait!" said Fuji. "What's your relationship with Ryoma?"

Candice said, "Well, I was his senior in school. We attended the same junior high school after all. We have been spending three years in America together."

"So you watched his demeanor change?" Oishi asked

"Yes."

"Could you tell us what happened?" said Tezuka.

Candice shook her head. "I can't. It's up to Ryoma to tell you what happened during those three years. And if you are trying to convince him to join the tennis club, he will refuse."

"Why?" said Momo.

"Well, he seemed to be interested in the lessons I gave him." She stated.

"What's your specialty?"

"I can't tell you that either." said Candice. "But you'll have a clue if you know what's inside Ryoma's rectangular case." With that, she left the classroom. The regulars looked at each other. Ryoma's rectangular case? What could be inside to draw his interest away from tennis?

**A/N: Ok, now I want to ask my readers for a favor: The pairing in this story has been undecided, could you decide who Ryoma should be with? Please tell me in your reviews. I will finalize my decision within the next few chapters. And I know, I am rushing again, because I only had 45 minutes to do this.**


	3. Don't get in my way!

**CR: I know, I know, but I like the Hunger Games a bit too much, I guess. Also, I only have 55 minutes quota. Don't worry, I'll try and write as long and good as possible, I promise. Oh and do remember to help me decide on a pairing. I'll tell you what I mean by pairing at the note after the end of this chapter. **

During lunch, Ryoma took his rectangular case and sought out his third year mentor, Candice. He found her in her classroom, reading a book, and munching on a power bar, along with a few others. "Candice." He called out. The said girl looked up, startled to find Ryoma standing at her classroom doorway. "Ryoma, what is it?" said Candice. The other third years also stared at the freshman who was bold enough to come to their classroom like that. Tezuka was among them but he ignored them. He walked in until he was standing next to Candice. "Do you have time now?" he said, his tone icy. "Echizen…" Tezuka started to say but he quelled Tezuka with his killer look. Tezuka flinched slightly, for he never saw his kohai look at him like that before. He turned back to Candice. "Well?" he said. Candice wrapped up the remaining of her power bar, and said. "Sure. What is it?" Ryoam jerked his head once. "Follow me." Candice frowned. She had an idea what Ryoma wanted, but followed him nonetheless. Tezuka frowned. What did Ryoma want with Candice? And what is with the cold treatment? There is no respect in the tone he spoke with Candice. Well, eh decided to go and check. After all, he's the boy's (former) captain. He found them at the rooftop. Ryoma put down his rectangular case, and took out his bow and arrows. He slung the sheath over his shoulder. "Candice, we'll train right here, right now."

Candice protested. "Ryoma, this is school! You know perfectly well tha-"

"You said you'd always be by my side, don't you? Not unlike my senpais? You said you'd do ANYTHING to keep me happy, that's what you said, didn't you?" Candice looked scared. Ryoam got her there, and she couldn't escape. "Yes, but about your senpais-" Ryoma glared at her. "I will never forgive them for what they put me through. I will never forget that as well." Candice pursed her lips. He had never forgotten the traumatic experiences and memories of the Games. Candice knew how he felt. Also, because the chances of winning tend to be skewed in favor of the Career Tributes, victors from poorer districts, like hers and Ryoma's, have to watch the tributes who they have personally trained as mentors die. She did not allow Ryoma to mentor. Her reason was he was too young, as he was only 13 when he won. However, the real reason was she doesn't want to add to his nightmares. He watched helpless children die in the arena, but they had to die so he could win. He must have held contempt towards friendship now. Candice closed her eyes. "Alright, you win." She said, taking a single knife out of her pocket. "Let's train, then. I won't hold back." Ryoma loaded two arrows, and shot it at Candice. Candice blocked both arrows with her only knife and she threw it towards Ryoma. He deflected the knife using his bow. He drew the bowstring and sent an arrow to Candice's head, but she turned, and the arrow grazed her face instead. She pulled the arrow to take in the severity of the wound. She ran towards Ryoma. Ryoma shot at her but she managed to disarm him of his bow by kicking the bow away from his hands. Then she slammed into Ryoma, knocking him flat on his back, pinning his shoulders to the ground with her hands and the two wrestled for a moment, before Ryoma gained the advantage. Candice kicked him on his stomach, sending him flying, and they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Candice had to block his spinning kick with both hands. She grabbed one of them and flung it to the ground, but Ryoma did a somersault. Meanwhile, Tezuka was watching from the shadows. 'No way, I didn't know Echizen had such strength and ability to handle a weapon. Kami, I don't think I can even lift the bow, let alone use it.' He watched as Ryoma sent a kick to Candice. She blocked it, but didn't see the oncoming punch. She skidded backwards, clutching to her face. She took her only knife lodged beside her in the wall. Ryoma took out his sword he kept in the case. It was clear Candice was a skilled close-range fighter, able to fight back Ryoma wielding a sword with just a knife. While fighting Ryoma with a knife, she buried her palm in Ryoma's stomach, and he winced in pain, dropping his sword. Candice kneeled down in concern. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. As expected of you, Candice." Ryoma said, smiling slightly. "I need to take more lessons from you in order to get stronger."

Candice sighed, and smiled. "Alright. Let's train again tonight, then." She searched in her pocket, and took out something. "Are you sure you don't want your token back?" When she meant token, she actually meant the tribute token. Each tribute is permitted to bring something with them into The Hunger Games that represents their district and remind them of home which will be used as a token. Tokens will be confiscated if they break the rules of the Games, as will anything that can be used as an advantage. A token is usually something that can be worn so the tributes may keep it with them easily. However, for Ryoma, it was a locket with the pictures of him and the Seigaku regulars. Ryoma glared at it in contempt, grabbed the locket, and threw it against the wall. The glass part of the locket shattered. "No." he hissed. "Don't ever let me see their faces again." Candice looked at him silently, picked up the broken locket, and gently squeezed him on the shoulder. "Alright. I won't. I'll give it back when you're ready, ok?" Ryoma merely grunted in response, picked collected his bow and arrows, and threw Candice's knife towards her. She caught it perfectly, and placed it back in her pocket. He closed the clasp of his case, and walked towards the door silently. He walked past Tezuka without looking at him.

"Echizen…." He called out. Ryoma turned, and glared. "You saw everything, didn't you?" he said, eyes getting narrower. He slowly nodded. Ryoma punched him on the stomach and stomped on his foot. "This is your punishment. If you speak about what you saw, I promise you a painful death." With that, he left. Just then, Candice came out, and saw a (silently) wincing Tezuka. "I don't think you should go near him from now on." said Candice. "He meant what he said when he threatened killing you."

"But Echizen never killed anyone before."

Candice laughed softly. How much more ignorant can Tezuka get? "Times change, Tezuka. He changed. You already saw the new him. It's best if you listen to him. And so to let you know, he has ways of finding out if you tell anyone." 'After all, I taught most of the methods to him.' Just then, the bell rang. "Well, let's get back to class, or are you going to just sit there complaining about the pain in your stomach and foot?" she said, offering her hand. Tezuka glared at her, but she merely smiled. He took her hand and she pulled him up, and together they walked back to class.

Meanwhile, Ryoma was in his classroom. He winced at the fact that he was in the same class as Horio. He was yakking away to whoever will listen about his 5 years of tennis experience. Ryoma tried to block him out, but Horio was boasting eh could beat him in tennis, and maybe if Horio got into a fight with him, Horio said he would win. Ryoam finally cracked and said, "Horio, shut up!" The class fell silent. "I am tired of your B.S" only he didn't just say the initials. "And also, the five year experience you have boasting about is nothing but talk. If you want to boast on the skills, show that you can really do it, not talk about it. Anyway, action speaks louder than words." With that, he sat back down to applause of his classmates (and to Horio's embarrassment). After school, Ryoma had library duty. After his duty (which ended the same time as tennis practice) he walked out of the library, only to hear, "Yo! Echizen! Wanna go for burgers with me? My treat!" Ryoma glared at Momo, and said, "Go to hell." He walked away. Momo ran to catch up and said, "But you used to…"

"Just leave me alone." He snapped. He walked towards the gates, only to find the other regulars. "Nya, Ochibi, what's wrong?" Kikumaru said. "If you have problems, you can always talk to us, you know." said Oishi.

"What problems I have is my business. I don't see why you need to know, and I want to keep my private life private." He snapped. He walked towards the gates, only to find Fuji and Tezuka standing there. "Now, Echizen, it isn't very nice to treat us like that, you know. You could at least talk to us." Ryoma stared at the smiling tensai. "Out of the way, Fuji." The regulars noted Ryoma did not address Fuji with honorifics (something that the Japanese probably would consider very insulting or rude.) "Not until I get an answer." said Fuji. Ryoma closed his eyes, and said, "Then I would just have to use force." Fuji smiled, thinking a small boy like him won't be of any harm. (Yeah, right) However, he was very wrong. Ryoma punched Fuji with such force; he flew and hit the signboard at the bus stop. He then proceeded to grab Tezuka, and throw him over his shoulder. Tezuka, surprised by Ryoma's attack, had no time to react and was literally flung on the ground. The other regulars looked on with surprise. When did Ryoma, their precious kohai, become so strong and so violent? "One more time you are in my way, you'll suffer like them." said Ryoma, pointing to the fallen boys. "I hope you wouldn't dare try me." He walked off.

"Are you ok?" said Oishi, helping Fuji up. Fuji rubbed the back of his head. "Ouch….I didn't expect this."

"Neither did I." said Tezuka. 'Actually, I did, but I mustn't tell, or else I may get killed. I wonder what happened during those three years.'

But the real question Tezuka wanted to ask was, why would he abandon his racquet for weapons?

**CR: When I say POT pairings, I actually meant a yaoi pairing. I extremely hate the few female POT characters (maybe except Ann), so a straight pairing will never be possible for me. I hope you guys can help me decide on one, because the story may not be able to continue without it. Place your ideas in the reviews please.**


	4. To hurt a friend with a knife

**CR: I haven't updated this in a while. My parent seemed hard bent on getting me to finish my homework before December. Oh sheesh, I wish they could chill because I still have like one month to finish my homework. And guess what? I got into a fight with one of my friends, because I joined later than him, and yet I got more reviews, favorites and followers on my stories. What is this? So, obviously, it hasn't been resolved….back to the story!**

Ryoma scratched his head thinking over an Algebra question. His mentor, Candice was tapping on the table impatiently, waiting for an answer. She regretted agreeing to help Ryoma with his Algebra homework- she had to wait for hours just to get an answer out of him. She finally took the paper and read the question he was thinking so hard about. "Factorize x2-3x+2. Hence, solve for x" Candice said. "Look. If you want to factorize things like this…" she took pout a paper and a piece of pencil. She drew a cross, and wrote x2 and -2 at the bottom on the left side, and -3x on the right side. "Now, what makes up x2?" she said. "x and x, of course." Candice smiled. "Very good. Now, we write it down." She writes the factors down. "Now, what are the factors that make up +2? Remember to look at the third factor as well." Ryoma thought for a moment and said, "-1 and -2." Candice wrote that down. "Now, we cross multiply, and we get -3x. Then, all we have to do is to write this down. Therefore, our final answer will be (x-2)(x-1). Then, x-2=0 of x-1=0, so x is either 2 or 1." Candice concluded. "Now try the next question yourself."

The next day, when Ryoma woke up, the pigeons that were perched on the tree next to the window were cooing away, the sun was shining, and he actually got up on time, and didn't hit the snooze button seven thousand times. He took a shower and didn't actually scald himself by accidentally turning the water tap to the hot side. He found a fairly unwrinkled shirt at the bottom of hid closet, and neatened his hair. He was in a slightly better mood. Fridays is his favorite day. It meant two days-two glorious, relaxing days- of NO Algebra coming his way. He liked to finish his homework early however, and that's why he enlisted Candice's help last night. He walked down to the kitchen and saw all the pink light coming down through the window right on Nanako, who was wearing her best white blouse and frilly blue skirt, and making Japanese breakfast. Candice was already dressed, and she was setting the table. Candice, Ryoma saw, had set the table with their best Kmart plates, the ones with the blue stripes on them, and the green plastic cactus shaped margarita glasses from Ikea. She had even put a bunch of fake sunflowers in the middle of the table in a silver vase, which was his favorite color. She had done all that to cheer him up, he knew, and probably had gotten up early to do it too. However, it made him sadder, as he knew she was trying to help him forget about his nightmares. Nanako loaded their plates with breakfast and both of them ate in silence. After that, they shouldered their bags and went to school. Corrections, they were racing each other, trying to find out who can run faster. "Ha-ha! You are too slow!" said Candice. She was at least a meter ahead of Ryoma. "Says who? I am so going to beat you!" he said as he increased his speed. Candice was so caught up with her conversation; she didn't notice a boy walking in front of her. When she did, it was too late to brake. She bumped head first into the boy, and they fell down. Candice looked down on the boy she fell on. It was Tezuka.

Ryoma caught up in time to see Candice leap up, and mumble "Sorry." to Tezuka, who was getting up and brushing himself off. "Jeez, you are so careless, Candice." said Ryoma, shaking his head. He looked at Tezuka, and gave a curt nod, before turning and walking towards the school campus. "Hey, wait up!" said Candice, running after him, but not before turning back to her classmate and apologizing one more time for bumping into him.

"That wasn't very nice, Ryoma. He's your former captain. At least you could've said hi to him."

"Says the person who bumped into him really hard." said Ryoma sarcastically. Candice frowned slightly, before saying, "I'll see you at lunch." Ryoma nodded, and went into his classroom. He fell asleep once he got to his table, and ignoring his classmates, he covered himself with a book. He was still sleeping even when the teacher got in and started his lesson. The book helped hide him throughout the lesson. When the bell rang for lunch, he got up and met Candice for lunch. Candice took one look at his messed up hair, and said, "Fell asleep in class again?" Ryoma nodded. "How did you know?"

"Your hair's all messed up." Candice said, returning to her bento. "And anyway, w-" she was cut off when the roof door opened and Ryoma's (former) friend, Fuji came in."I knew I'd find you here." Fuji smiled. "I've been looking all over for you."

"And why would you do that?" said Ryoma coldly.

"I wanted to talk to you." said Fuji

"About what? There's nothing to talk about!" Ryoma spat. "You were the ones who didn't trust me, you were the ones that didn't allow me to explain! Well, guess what! I am not going to let you explain this time round! Let's go, Candice." said Ryoma getting up, and tried to walk past Fuji, but Fuji grabbed his wrist, saying, "No. I want a word." Ryoma took out his knife, and slashed Fuji's hand. He gave a yelp, and let go of Ryoma. "Hmph. Pathetic weakling." said Ryoma, smirking evilly. Candice ran over to Fuji, and stemmed his blood flow with a tissue. "Are you alright?" she said. Fuji nodded. "Yeah, I am thanks." Candice looked at the wound, and as she wrapped his hand with tissue, she said, "Come to Echizen's house after your tennis practice. I'll be waiting. Bring a friend if you have to, but make sure they can keep a secret." With that, she walked away.

During practice, Fuji was thinking about what Candice said. Who should he tell? Hmm….Momo? Nah, he won't shut up about it. Kikumaru? No…not a good choice. Kawamura? The secret won't last long with a racquet in hand. Oishi? He'll be worrying his pants off. Kaidoh? Maybe, but he's always busy training. Inui? Will take data on it, no doubt. That just leaves Tezuka. Fuji made up his mind, and walked up to Tezuka. "Tezuka." He called out. The said person turned and faced his friend. "What is it, Fuji?" Fuji whipped his head side to side; making sure the coast is clear and whispered something to Teuzka. He nodded, and said, "Alright.", thinking over at Echizen's house, he may have some English homework done. He dismissed the club members and they waited until everyone has left. "Ready?" said Fuji. Tezuka nodded, and they made their way to Echizen's house.

They knocked on the door, and Nanako answered. "Oh, who are you looking for?" she said, looking at their uniforms. Fuji hesitated, before saying, "Weinstein." Nanako nodded. "Yes, Candice told me about the visit. She said to bring you to her room." Nanako led them to her room, and she closed the door behind them. Minutes later, Nanako reappeared, holding a first aid box. She set the kit down and took out a thread and a needle. She stitched up Fuji's wound, placed medicine on it, and wrapped it in bandages. "Candice is dealing with some important matters. She told me to tell you to wait in her room until she comes in." The two nodded, and she left again.

Fuji looked around her room. Her room had a dressing table. Next to it, was a tall bookcase full of books, and across from it, it was a laptop. The laptop seemed to be frozen at a certain part of the video. Fuji froze. He nudged Tezuka and they looked closer at the picture. They could recognize the little girl as a thirteen year old Candice.

And she was silting someone's throat half way.

**CR: I know this chapter is bad, because I am suffering from writers block, but I knew I had to come up with something. So it ended up like this. Excuse me if the story is lacking any emotions, because I really had no idea what to write, so I closed my eyes and wrote whatever came up on my mind.**


	5. Their Games and revealed secrets

**BP: Yeah, schools have reopened, and let's just say, I miss the holidays where there is no one to bug me and I can read and write in peace. Now? Oh, the joy of taking the big exam during October, and I can start studying now. Feeling pressured by the amount of homework given and the number of remedial I have to go, and coming home late all the time. Nice. Thanks to all my homework, I am now suffering from writer's block…..**

Tezuka and Fuji looked at each other in dread. That was definitely Candice. They could recognize her features and her hair. With a trembling hand, Fuji turned the video back to the beginning. Some stupid anthem played and then, they saw a person with the most bizarre hair color and style, and wearing some weird clothing that was meant to be a tailored suit, but in reality looked more like a clown's suit. "Welcome, District 1. They time has come to choose a male and a female for the 69th Annual Hunger Games. As usual, ladies first." The woman picked out a slip of paper from a glass ball, read out a name, and a girl stepped out. However, someone volunteered and another girl rushed to the stage, pushing the chosen girl aside. The same happened when the woman picked the boys. Then, a seal that said "District 2" appeared. Another bizarre looking woman picked out the names from the glass balls, which they deduced was one for the girls and one for the boys. As usual, another pair volunteered, and confidently marched to the stage.

District 3 was different. Two were picked, but there were no volunteers. District 4 was the same, two volunteered as usual. For 5 and 6, they were picked. No volunteers. They perked up when it came to District 7. The woman picked out a name in the glass ball, and read out, "Candice Weinstein." Candice, wearing a pink dress with a matching ribbon, walked up the stage, fear evident in her face. Then, a boy called Henry Polder was chosen. The choosing of the names went by fast, with no volunteers for the rest of the districts. Tezuka noted that Candice was smaller than most of the tributes. Then, it was the opening ceremonies, where the kids dressed in costumes and rode in chariots. For Candice's district, she was dressed in a spring green dress and red slippers. The boy was wearing a green suit with dark red pants, and both had birds twittering around them. They composed themselves well and smiled at the audience, who were cheering for them. The training scores were next. Fuji noticed that the kids from the Districts 1, 2 and 4 scored at least 8-10. Most of the others scored a 5. Candice actually scored a 4.

Next, the interviews were next. They merely skimmed through the interviews. However, they saw one full exchange between Candice and a man called Caesar Flickerman, who had dyed his hair spring green along with his eyelids.

"So, Candice, how are you feeling? Great, I hope?"

"Of course, Caesar. Please don't underestimate me just because of my size and I didn't score well for training. You don't know what I might be capable of." She smiled sweetly.

"I'll never do that in a million years." Caesar assured her.

"Yeah, but you are not a tribute, are you?" The audience laughed, and Caesar smiled. "Sorry, I forgot."

After the interviews, they watched from one tribute's point of view as she rose in the arena. They saw the Cornucopia, and it was littered with supplies. Candice was at least three tributes away from this girl, and she had her eye on a backpack. When the gong rang, she ran, grabbed a knife and backpack, and ran towards the woods. They watched as the tributes killed each other for the supplies. The kids from Districts 1, 2 and 4, apparently allied with each other and they got all the supplies. The cameras went back to Candice, as she watched the sky for the fallen tributes. There were 13 in all. She started to cry when she saw her district partner's face in the sky. So he died in the bloodbath. The next day, she got down form her tree, and looked fearful as she clutched to her knife while looking for water. She kept this fearful look for the next few days, eating plants and finding water, hiding all the while, not making a single kill. During these few days, the alternate between her actions and the deaths. On the 6th day, there were only 5 tributes left, 3 of them were from Districts 1, 2 or 4.

She met a tribute from 5. "P-please spare me." She stuttered, as he pinned her against the tree. She hid her knife in her pocket.

The boy smirked. "No can do, 7." He took out an axe. "I have to win and go back to my family, no? Weaklings like you don't deserve to live." As soon as he raised his axe, she kicked him in the shin, making him wince in pain. She snatched the axe, and said, "So, can the person you think of as a weakling do this?" she sliced his throat, not listening to his pleas and the cannon fires. She walked on, and apparently got careless, as she met with the rest of the tributes from 1, 2 and 4. They looked down at the axe in her hand. "So, you know how to use an axe?" the girl from 4 snickered. "Use it, then"

Candice shook her head vehemently. "I…I don't know how to use it…please, don't make me." She dropped the axe in fear. The girl stared, and sneered. "You're useless."

The District 4 girl turned to the rest of the tributes. "Ok, guys, I say we kill her now and…." She was cut off as she felt pain at her back, and realized Candice threw the axe at her back. She spat out blood and collapsed on the floor. The boy from 2 held her arms from behind, while his District partner raised her knife. Candice jumped up and kicked the girl at the chest, making her stumble back. She took out her knife and sliced the District 2 boy in the arms. He yelped and let her go. She punched the boy in the face, making him cough out blood, and dodged the oncoming kick from the girl. She pulled the axe from the girl from District 4's back, and threw it at the boy from 2, who was just getting up. The axe lodged in his head and the cannon fires. She held both of the girl's hands and used her head to attack her face. The girl's nose got crunched, and blood started flowing freely from her nose. She swung her knife at Candice, but she got behind, and sliced her back. Candice punched her on the face. The girl blocked Candice's oncoming punch; stabbed Candice in the stomach, and due to this, Candice used her remaining knife to stab at her open spot- her chest. Candice wiped the blood that sprayed over her face when she stabbed the girl from 2, as the trumpets played to announce her victory. The video ended.

The door opened, and Candice came in. Tezuka and Fuji looked at her in fear. Candice looked puzzled, and turned to the computer screen. Then it dawned on her why they are now scared of her. They watched the video that she was watching halfway before she had something to do. "Before you say anything, please, listen to what I have to say first. As you saw on the video that was the 69th Hunger Games, right?"

"Yeah….what is the Hunger Games, exactly?" said Fuji.

Candice sat on the bed. "The Hunger Games is a morbid and brutal competition which takes place annually in the country of Panem. Every year, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 were selected from each of the twelve districts as tributes known as the event called reaping. The reaping is an annual event that takes place in every district before each Hunger Games, where the tributes of the upcoming Games are chosen. Each district's escort randomly chooses the name of one male and one female tribute from two separate glass balls. Those picked are then the official tributes for the upcoming Games. Do you know how the Hunger Games come to be?"

Tezuka and Fuji shook their heads.

"Seventy years ago, the thirteen districts of Panem revolted against the Capitol. Together, they stood strong, but when District 13 was obliterated by the Capitol, resistance became impossible, as District 13 was the driving force behind the rebellion. The remaining districts submitted to the Capitol and lost their hope for change. Since then, the Capitol forced 24 children into the arena and televises the events in order to both entertain the Capitol citizens and remind the remaining twelve districts how completely at the Capitol's mercy they are. Only one tribute can win the games. Usually, it's the Career tributes."

"Career tributes?" said Tezuka.

"The tributes from Districts 1,2 and 4. They are the ones who throughout their lives to compete in the Hunger Games and then volunteer to participate. They come from the wealthier Districts, 1, 2, and 4, where being a tribute is seen as a great honor. Of course as you see in the video, in Career districts, volunteering is very common. Everyone wants to win the Games, even if it means volunteering." She said bitterly.

"However, I realized, even after I won, I wasn't free from the Hunger Games. The day I won, I realized no one ever wins the Hunger Games. Many victors turn to alcohol or drugs after they have won their Games. They do this because of the traumatic experiences and memories of the Games. Also, because the chances of winning tend to be skewed in favor of the Career Tributes, victors from poorer districts like mine and Ryoma's have to watch the tributes who they have personally trained as mentors die." She sighed. "During the three years he left you, Ryoma was chosen for the 72nd Hunger Games. I was his mentor."

Fuji widened his eyes. "You're kidding!" he cried.

Candice shook her head. "I wish I was, Fuji. After the Games, he was plagued by nightmares, just like me. He was supposed to mentor the tributes, but I told them he was too young. In reality, I don't want him to watch those he mentored die in the Games."

Candice bit her lip and went on, "Something happened to him right after the Games. He changed since then."

Tezuka and Fuji widened their eyes. "What happened?" Fuji whispered.

Just then, there was a scream in the next room. Candice immediately got up, and ran to the next room. Teuzka and Fuji followed close behind her. Candice opened the door to the next room, and went to hug the trembling figure. "Shh, it's alright, Ryoma, it's just a nightmare…."

"Make it stop, Candice! Please make it stop!" Ryoma wailed. Tezuka and Fuji saw what they had never seen before.

He was crying.

"I know, Ryoma. I know. It's all going to be alright, I promise." Candice patted his back soothingly. "Go to sleep, alright?" Ryoma nodded. Candice tucked him back to bed, and she beckoned Tezuka and Fuji to come outside with her. Once the door to Ryoma's room closed, Tezuka started speaking. "Echizen's suffering from his nightmares?"

Candice nodded. "Yeah, however, he's not the only one. I myself have nightmares about my Games as well. However, Ryoam suffered worse than I did."

"What do you mean, Candice?" said Fuji.

"Are you sure you want to know?" said Candice. Teuzka and Fuji looked at each other, before nodding their heads. Candice sighed. "Fine." She brought them to her room, and placed a CD in her laptop. The reaping happened all over again, and when District 7 came, a girl called Allison Firestone was picked while the boy was….

"Echizen!" Tezuka and Fuji shouted at the same time. Echizen looked broken inside, and they knew it happened right after they accused him of being a thief, and not believing a word he said. The opening ceremonies were next, and Ryoma was wearing a dark green suit with brown pants. He kept a stoic look on his face. The training scores were next, and Ryoma scored a 10. Then it was the interviews.

"So, Ryoma, do you have any friends back home that you will win for?" said Caesar, whose eyelids and hair are dark blue this time.

"What friends? They don't even trust me anyway!" Ryoma spat. "Some friends they are."

Tezuka and Fuji were hurt when they heard the words come out of his mouth, but they knew it wasn't his fault. The Games began and Ryoma was raised into the arena. As soon as the gong rang, he ran towards the Cornucopia, grabbed a huge backpack, and killed some tributes on the way, before running to the woods. "He's venting his anger and hate in this Games." said Candice. They watched as he killed a few more tributes over the next 7 days, with his district partner he allied with on the 4th day. However, on the 9th day, when Allison went to get some water, after a few minutes, Ryoma heard a scream. He arrived just in time to see Allison beheaded by one of the Careers. He quickly ran from the scene and hid. On the tenth day, someone released mutts in the arena, and Ryoma survived by being the fastest runner and climber. The video ended, and Candice said, "Since then, he was plagued by nightmares of his partner being beheaded time and again. However, that wasn't the concern…."

"What is, then?" said Fuji.

Candice sighed. "Tezuka, what did we learn the other day during Social Studies?"

Tezuka frowned at her, before saying, "India's federal police said in 2009 that they believed around 1.2 million children in India to be involved in prostitution. Why?"

Candice didn't answer. She bit her lip, and hung her head.

Fuji widened his eyes. "Don't tell me….."

Candice bit her lips so hard it actually broke skin and drew blood. "It happened to both Ryoma and me. President Snow tried to prostitute me and Ryoma, but we refused. He…" She choked out a sob, unable to go on. However, just then, there was another cry coming from Ryoma's room. They then realized Ryoma has another nightmare. "F-Fuji, can you go c-c-comfort Ryoma? I can't do it r-right now." Fuji nodded, and opened the door to Ryoma's room. Sure enough, Ryoma was wrapped in blankets, and Fuji went over to hug him. "Let go, Fuji." said Ryoma, though his voice was shaking.

"What happened to you in America?" he asked quietly.

"I…. I-" he choked up. 'Should I tell him? He was one of those who treated me kindly when I first came to the tennis club…..'

"Candice told me everything about the Hunger Games. She got until the part about prostituting and you both refusing and she broke down."

Ryoma's eyes darkened. "Oh, that….She's right about it. President Snow tried to sell us to the Capitol citizens. We refused. He then ruthlessly killed our loved ones in front of us. Both had a clean cut through the chest. They bled everywhere, slowly dying. I saw my parents get murdered right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything but watch. The same happened to Candice when she was 13. Both of us suffered the same fate in the end. I guess a happy fate wasn't meant for us victors." He laughed bitterly as tears flowed down his face.

Through Ryoma's story Fuji's eyes had opened. But he didn't say anything, when Ryoma finished Candice's story he just hugged Ryoma and let him cry. "I know Candice is trying to help me to be happy again. She probably told you and Tezuka this story is because she knew you two were the ones I turn to the most in the past. Both of us. We had nobody left we love." Fuji hugged him tighter. They were like that for about an hour when finally Ryoma cried his heart out. He wiped his eyes and Fuji let go of Ryoma as he sat up.

"Don't worry, Ryoma. I won't leave you. I promise." said Fuji. 'Because I love you.' He smiled as he tucked Ryoma back to bed. He went to Candice's room to find Candice, apparently cried herself to sleep, and Tezuka tucking her in bed. "I guess they're just two more victims of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is so cruel!" said Fuji. Teuzka nodded. "Yeah. I think…we should help them overcome their nightmares and their losses. You take care of Echizen, I'll take care of Candice."

Fuji smiled a cheeky smile. "Hmm, you'll take care of Candice? You like her, Tezuka?"

Tezuka coughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Fuji."

Fuji smiled knowingly. Candice is a smart and understanding person. She also is pretty curvaceous, and doesn't wear her skirt short, unlike most fangirls of theirs. Also, she is good at acting and tricks. She doesn't vie for attention unlike their fangirls. On the contrary, she doesn't even seem aware of the attention she is getting. What boy wouldn't want her?

On the other hand, Ryoma himself is a pretty boy. Also, he is a genius to the point of not needing to study. He is good at sports, and later, hand to hand combat and weapon wielding. It's no wonder why he is considered desirable.

"I got an idea. Why don't we take them to the carnival tomorrow after school? They should have fun once in a while" said Fuji.

Tezuka nodded. "That's a good idea, Fuji."

**BP: Sorry, suffering from writer's block, so I have no idea whether it's any good.**


	6. Funfair and The Hanging Tree

**BP: Ugh, I am always coming home late nowadays. The homework load has increased dramatically as well. I can't believe I am going to graduate soon. The threat of the big exam is looming over my head, and I am scared….really scared. **

"You're late." Ryoma said coldly to Fuji and Tezuka. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Meanwhile, Candice was listening to her I-Pod. She was wearing a pair of 7 For All Mankind dark-rinse low-rinse skinny jeans, a simple white crew-neck tee and Emilio Pucci ballerina flats.

"Oh, don't say that, Ryoma. They are only a minute late!"

"Whatever."

"Ok, let's go!" Fuji chirped happily. They walked along the dimly lit road, and the night was suddenly ablaze with lights as they reached the fair. There were strange sounds everywhere- squeaks and sizzles and pops- and all sorts of enticing aromas. Everything was new and strange to the Hunger games victors, who never had any fun in their lives since their traumatic Games. There were toy pipes, which you "smoked" by inhaling peppermint. They were decorated with pictures of cats and dogs and Betty Boop. There were lollipops and another fluffy candy, which Candice learned it was cotton candy. She tried one and enjoyed it immensely. There were bamboo guns- tubes through which you pushed pieces of a certain kind of plant stem to make a loud pop. A man by the side of the road was swallowing swords and eating glass, and there was a man selling a sort of powder you rubbed on the rim of a bowl to make it resound. There were magic golden rings that make money disappear, and pictures that developed when exposed to sunlight, and paper flowers that blossomed when dropped in a glass of water. The female victor looked around with interest, while the male just looked disinterested in all the activity that is happening around him.

"I'm going to the ice cream stall. Want to come, Echizen, Candice?" said Fuji. Ryoma shrugged and went off with Fuji, while Candice said, "No thanks. We'll wait for you." Later, Fuji was helping Ryoma select from a variety of ice cream flavors. However, it was very hard when Ryoma only said "Yeah" and "whatever" when Fuji asked him if he wanted a specific flavor. It was only Fuji said that he would choose a wasabi flavor did he say a random flavor he wanted (strawberry).

While waiting for their ice creams, Fuji said, "Echizen, what made you choose strawberry?'

Ryoma inwardly frowned. "Well, it's the ice cream flavor I tasted when I was in the Capitol. You know, before I was reaped for the Games, me and Candice usually talked over the Internet or phone about wishing we could show the Capitol that they don't own us. That I am more than just a piece in there Games. If I am going to die I still want to be me. That's why we defiantly said no to the President. Candice only told me to say what's right. She did not even tell me about her family until my family was killed all because I said no. All because of one word the President didn't want to hear."

"Don't worry, Echizen. Now you are here, you have us. You have your mentor here too."

Ryoma nodded, just as the saleslady says, "Your ice creams are ready." Fuji received his ice cream with a smile. Ryoma frowned at the flavor. 'Wasabi, seriously?' he thought. 'Fuji never changed a single bit since I left.' He mentally shuddered.

Meanwhile, Candice sighed. "Argh, what's taking them so long?" she grumbled. "Please tell me Ryoma didn't cooperate again."

"Patience, Weinstein. The stall probably had a long queue or something." said Tezuka. Candice nodded sullenly, and ran a hand over her hair in frustration. "Hey, Tezuka, what was Ryoma like, before he went back to America?"

"Well…he was an arrogant, cocky person, and he is very good at tennis. He usually liked to mock his opponents before he defeats them with ease. He usually carries a smirk on his face."

"Heh…how I wish I could see that side of him." said Candice wistfully. "When I met him, he looked broken and sad, and he cried a lot at night. When he was chosen for the Hunger Games, he looked utterly miserable, even telling me to kill him because he had no chance to win the Games. However, I told him not to give up, and if they come at him, kill his heart and compassion with a blade and become a true Hunger Games tribute. Eventually, he managed to create an emotionless mask and he closed his heart to everyone around him. It didn't help when that happened." Just then, Fuji and Ryoma came out with their ice creams.

"About time." said Candice. They tried various rides, like cup & saucer, toysets, train rides, Ferris wheels, waltzers, bumper cars, and the roller coaster. The boring part was, all of them did not even scream. They tried the game stalls, like the ball-in-the-basket in which the basket is presented at an angle almost certain to bounce the ball out. However, Ryoma and Candice, managed to figure out a way to get the ball in without bouncing the ball out. They also tried archery, air rifles, and paint ball guns. Candice was especially good at targets, she never missed. Hit-The-Bell was left for Ryoma, who has surprising strength despite his rather small frame. Candice is currently hugging a stuffed bunny. "I am going to call you Fluffy!" she declared, hugging the bunny. Fuji looked amused, Tezuka's expression remained unchanging, and Ryoma shook his head. 'What a childish mentor.' Ryoma thought. He bought a candy apple, a treat he liked back in the Capitol, and savored the taste. 'Not bad' he thought. 'It's sweeter than the Capitol's.'

They finally went home at 10pm. The victors were, for the first time, cheerful and relaxed. They forgot about their nightmares, and enjoyed the day immensely (though Ryoma didn't show it.) Candice said to Fuji and Tezuka, "Thanks for taking us to the fair today. We appreciate it." Fuji smiled. "You're welcome."

Ryoma said, "Whatever," and walked back to his room, but from the very small, invisible smile, it's clear that he enjoyed his time at the fair too.

"We'll see you in school, Weinstein." said Tezuka. Candice smiled.

"Yes, see you." said Candice, as she closed the door behind him. Meanwhile, Ryoam never felt happier. It's almost like the times he spent with senpai-tachi before they got angry at him for no reason. He wouldn't call them friends, not yet. He found himself singing a random song taught by Candice. Candice loved singing when she was young, but she stopped after her parents were dead.

"Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Where they strung up a man they say murdered three

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree

Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Where the dead man called out for his love to flee

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree

Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Are you, Are you

Coming to the tree

Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.

Strange things did happen here,

No stranger would it be,

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."

Of course, at first he didn't understand the lyrics, but after the Hunger Games, but eventually he understood that the person singing the song was a dead man calling for his lover to come join him in death. It meant that a life of torture must have not been worth living. At one point after his parents' death, he really understood what that means, because he knew that being tortured by the Capitol is a much worse fate than death. He was sure Candice knew it too.

Little did he know, the said person was actually singing along with him, and she was standing outside his room.

**BP: Writer's block, thanks to a lot of homework. My brain is also worn out from the fact that I did not let it rest for the past five days, working away at difficult problem sums. **


	7. Dinner with the regulars

**BP: Geez….Taman Jurong has organized some talent competition. I don't really give a heck about it, but one of my friends already submitted a video on youtube. However, when my family watched it, the moment he started dancing, they burst into peals of laughter! Ok, it's laughable, I have to admit it. If you guys watched it, I think you'll laugh too.**

The next day, during lunch, Fuji and Ryoma are eating at the rooftop. Just then, the door opened, and Candice came in. "Candice, where's Teuzka?" said Fuji.

Candice shrugged. "Well, a girl called Aimi Saito wanted to have a word with him, so I just left them alone."

"You what?" Fuji jumped up from his bench.

"You left him with Aimi Saito?" Ryoma widened his eyes.

"Yeah. Why?" said Candice, worried about their reactions.

"She doesn't know about Aimi Saito." Ryoma muttered to Fuji.

"Yes. Let's fill her while we get back to the classroom." said Fuji. He turned to Candice. "We'll have to get back to class. I'll tell you about her on the way." The three of them packed their lunches, and rushed back to the 3-1 classroom, telling Candice about her. Candice's disgust became more obvious as Fuji and Ryoma filled her in about this girl. They opened the door in time to see hooker like blond girl with an extremely short green skirt, a blouse that ends just right above her belly button, and shows off her obvious braless chest. Before them stood the self-proclaimed most popular and prettiest girl in Seigaku High, Aimi Saito, and she was clinging to Teuzka's arm.

"Oh, come on, Teuzka-kun!" Aimi whined. "Just forget about them and come to lunch with me! I mean, I am your girlfriend after all!" Poor Tezuka is trying to pry her off without hurting her.

Candice turned to Fuji. "Is that…"

"No. It's self-proclaimed. He doesn't even like her." said Fuji.

"Do something, Candice." said Ryoma.

"Who, me?" said Candice. "Why?"

"Please?" said Fuji. "You're the only one who can do it."

"Fine." Candice sighed. She took a breath, and said, "Hey! What do you think you are doing?"

The girl looked up in surprise and said, "Well, I was just asking him to have lunch with me! I mean, we're going out after all!"

"Yeah, sure you are. More like you're clinging to him, forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do, you hag." Candice snorted.

"H-hag?! Do you know who I am! My name is Aimi Saito and I am the most popular girl in this school! You should be flattered I even bothered to talk to you politely! I can play the flute, and I bet you don't even have a talent" she yelled.

"Oh, I do have a talent alright. I write songs. I wrote this one for you.

Hello, Hello little whore,  
Close your legs it smells like fish  
You're a slutty orange mess  
Please go find a longer dress!  
Hello, Hello little whore,  
You're at school, not Jersey Shore."  
(Sang to the tune of Twinkle, twinkle little star)

Fuji and Ryoma laughed. Aimi's face turned red, and she unconsciously let go of Tezuka's arm to give Candice a stab to the stomach with her sharp nails. Candice immediately contracted her muscles so that Aimi couldn't retrieve her hand immediately. Ryoma took this opportunity to punch her, sending her flying. "Candice, are you alright?" said Fuji. Candice's uniform was slightly ripped and blood was flowing through her wounds. "Her nails seem pretty sharp. I'm fine though." In fact, she didn't even look troubled in the least. Just then, the bell rang. "Well, see you later." said Fuji, and he and Ryoma walked out of the classroom.

Fuji walked Ryoma to his classroom. "Hey, Echizen, do you want to join us for dinner with the regulars later after tennis practice? You can bring Candice if you want."

Ryoma shrugged. "I don't know, Fuji. I don't really want to meet them now."

"Oh, come on, Echizen. Please?"

Ryoma was slightly taken aback. He never heard Fuji say please to anyone before. Sure, he heard plenty of people say please to him to stop his sadistic antics, but never the other way round. What should he do? Hmm….decisions, decisions….however, when he turned to looks at Fuji, his usual closed eye smile seemed….sad? Ryoma felt a stab of pity hit his chest. He said, "Alright." Fuji's sad smile disappeared. "I'll tell the others you're coming with Candice!" They reached his classroom. "Well, bye, Echizen!" Ryoma nodded and went back to his seat. He couldn't believe he even felt pity for the sadistic guy.

He hated himself for it.

And that's how he found himself in a fast food restaurant with all the regulars, including Candice. "Hey, Echizen, wanna have a contest on who can eat the burger in the fastest timing?" said Momo. Ryoma waved him away and continued to eat his burger slowly.

"Hoi, hoi, Ochibi! It's nice for you to join us! You should talk more, nya!" said Kikumaru, glomping him. However, a pair of eyes opened, revealing blue orbs, and Kikumaru let go. The owner of the eyes smiled. He would never let anyone touch his Ryoma. Ryoma silently thanked whoever made Kikumaru let go of him and continued on with his burger. "Are you alright, Echizen?" said Oishi. "You seemed worried about something. Is it family problems? Schoolwork? Or…"

"Relationship problems? I bet it's that Sakuno girl." Momoshiro snickered. Ryoma responded by hitting Momo's head with his fist. "Ouch!" said Momo, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"Don't jump to conclusions." Ryoma replied, returning to his fries.

Kaidoh sighed. "Baka Momoshiri."

"What did you say? Mamushi?" Momoshiro stood up, spilling the drink on his tray.

"Wanna fight, Peach?" Kaidoh hissed. Just then, someone hit both their heads. "Ouch!" they cried. They turned to look at the culprit. It was Candice.

"There will be no fighting in this restaurant." She said calmly but firmly.

"Yes, ma'am." They said in unison, before sitting down. The regulars noted her cold and stoic personality, going about things in a calm demeanor. She seems to be level headed, managing to stay calm in situations like this. She reminded them of a certain captain. Candice sat down and sipped her drink.

"You two are like each other, nya." said Kikumaru, pointing his straw at Tezuka and Candice. "Are you two dating?"

"Dating? Don't be ridiculous. Why would I date a guy like him?" said Candice, pointing to Tezuka. For some strange reason, that hurt Teuzka, though he didn't show it.

"Really? I thought you will trip on your own feet to go out with him, I mean almost all the girls will kill just to be with him?" said Momo.

"Why?"

"Well, he's pretty handsome, and smart, sporty and popular!" said Momo.

"And am I supposed to fall head over heels in love with him because of that?" said Candice coldly. "That's the lamest reasons I have ever heard!" she stood up. "I'm going home." She walked out of the restaurant. Ryoma stood up. "Ah, wait for me, Candice!" he followed her out, leaving the regulars.

"Now that's something you don't hear every day." said Momo. "Right, Tezuka-buchou?"

Tezuka was glaring at Momoshiro. "Momo, 80 laps around the restaurant now."

"What? But-"

"90!"

"Fine." said Momoshiro, going out of the restaurant and running his assigned laps as fast as his full stomach can permit him.

"Seems like this girl is harder to get than you think." Fuji whispered to Tezuka. "Not bad. I like girls who play hard to get."

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, in the Capitol…..

"I found the missing District 7 victors. They are hiding in Japan, Penelope."

"Really? Good….Hey, Richard!"

"What is it, Penny?"

"I found your ex-girlfriend, Candice. She's in Japan with Ryoma."

"Very good, Penny. As a reward, you can have Ryoma. I know you love him, don't you?"

"Yeah...let's pack our bags. We're going in a week's time."

**BP: I think I got rusty ever since I started studying and doing homework. Oh well….do review! **


	8. How do I feel towards Fuji again and PMS

**BP: My classmates said I look older than I actually am and told me I talk like an older person because I am too formal. Yes, there's no Singlish in my sentences and just yesterday, the stupid teacher made us sing the national anthem just because we didn't sing loud enough! What is this? Nobody in the Secondary level will sing it loudly. I mean, we have been singing it for so long. Also, he made us greet the teachers again and again until he is satisfied. Can't believe that person. I doubt he even been a student himself. **

"Good morning, Ryoma, Candice…..Candice?" said Fuji. Candice had an aura around her. A murderous one. She was wearing a look that said, "If-you-piss-me-off-I'll-kill-you." Fuji turned to Ryoma for an explanation. Ryoma muttered, "PMS." Fuji sighed. Looking at her, he guessed he shouldn't piss her off, or the consequence may be worse than Ryoma just throwing him towards the signboard near the bus stop. Ryoma and Candice walked with Fuji for morning tennis practice. Just then, a ball flew towards Ryoma, but Candice caught it. The boy went towards them, and said, "Hey, Echizen, why did that chick have to catch the ball for you? Did you go rusty already?"

"So, it was you who hit the ball." said Candice, with forced calm, crushing the ball in her fist.

"Yeah, sorry about it though. I didn't expect you to-" he was cut off as Candice kicked him hard at the most painful place. She then did a bicycle kick on the boy, sending him flying at least 30 meters. She then roughly pushed him up and punched him across the face, knocking at least a molar out of his mouth. She dusted her hands, and walked away. Fuji watched in awe. 'She's scarier than Ryoma.' thought Fuji. Just then, the regulars approached. "Yo, Ochibi!" Kikumaru said, as he glomped his favorite freshman. He spotted the knocked out boy in front of him. "What happened, nya?"

"Candice's PMS." Ryoma replied shortly. He pried Kikumaru off him, and said, "Good luck for practice, Fuji." before walking away. He cursed at himself for saying good luck. He should have changed! Why is he saying good luck to someone who didn't believe him three years ago? Speaking of that, his heart really hurt when he heard those words from Fuji. But why? No, he is no longer that cocky and arrogant player everyone used to know. He is the vicious, cunning, ruthless, sadistic District 7 victor. He hated himself for even showing compassion. He shook his head and continued walking to the classroom. Whenever he wanted to NOT show compassion, Fuji will always ruin the plan. He went to his desk and fell asleep

"ECHIZEN RYOMA!" Ryoma woke up.

"What is it, Serina-sensei?" Ryoma mumbled.

"I have been calling you for the last 5 minutes!" she replied

"Well the Z Monster got me first." Ryoma retorted. The class laughed.

"Well, Echizen, translate this sentence on the board." said Serina. Ryoma went up and translated it flawlessly, and remarked, "Serina-sensei, you might want to check on your grammar. There's no such sentence such as 'I like to watches TV.'" He poked out a tongue, before going to his seat and sleeping. The teacher's face turned red. "DETENTION, ECHIZEN!" she shouted, just as the door banged open. It was Candice.

"Serina-sensei, Misaki-sensei would like to give you a message. Please shut up." said Candice coldly.

"Weinstein, don't interrupt me and Echizen. He's in trouble now, and I'll make sure of it."

"Really? If he does, you'll get into even bigger trouble, and I'll make sure of it." Candice replied, and left. Serina watched her leave, and shrugged. "Detention is still on, Echizen." said Serina smugly.

If only she knew what would happen to her next.

After detention, Ryoma found himself waiting for Fuji. He wondered why he is waiting for him when he is supposed to hate him, to despise him. But no, he wanted to wait for him for he couldn't bear to see his reaction if he wasn't there. Just then, he spotted Fuji and Tezuka approaching him. Fuji smiled at him, and he unconsciously smiled back. "Well, let's go." said Fuji. Ryoma and Tezuka nodded. "Hey, where's Candice?"

"She said she had something to do when she heard Echizen was given detention." Tezuka replied. "She'll be meeting you at the house, Echizen."

Ryoma nodded. "Alright, let's just go without her. They walked to Ryoma's house together. When they arrived, Candice wasn't there, though Nanako was and served them tea and peanut butter cookies as soon as they sat down in the living room.

"Yeah, I know, Serina gave me detention just because I corrected her English." Ryoma mumbled, as he took a sip of his tea.

"Saa, that's not nice of her. Is it, Ryo-chan?" said Fuji.

Ryoma fought hard to keep down a blush. 'Why am I feeling like this when he called me "Ryo-chan?" It must be uneasiness…or something else?' "No, it isn't."

"Tezuka did that to Serina-sensei before and she didn't even give him detention! Ne, Tezuka?" said Fuji.

"Unfair." Ryoma muttered. "Why does buchou always get away with no punishment?" he took a cookie from their plate and nibbled.

Tezuka pushed his glasses up, feeling uncomfortable. He shot a glare secretly at Fuji, before turning to Ryoma, and said, "Well….the teachers sort of liked me a lot because I was a model student."

"In other words, a teacher's pet." Ryoma stated bluntly, while still sipping his tea. He choked and coughed out the tea, spraying the table with tea and spit. Fuji rushed over to pat him on his back while Teuzka went to the kitchen to get a napkin to wipe the table. "You alright?" said Fuji, patting his back. Ryoma nodded. Fuji took a tissue and wiped the tea dripping down the side of his mouth. "You shouldn't talk while you drink. That will cause the drink to go down the windpipe, making you choke." Ryoma nodded, wondering why he felt uneasy, yet comfortable at the same time when Fuji patted him at the back and wiped the tea from his mouth. He was pondering this when Tezuka returned with a damp cloth, and wiped the table. He also wiped the table again with tissues to make it dry faster. He placed the plate back on the slightly wet table, and sat down.

"Yeah, I know I'm like a teacher's pet." said Teuzka, continuing the conversation. "But believe me, being a model student is no bed of roses. You have all those fangirls chasing you, admiring you…."

"It's sick." Ryoma finished for him, growling. He checked the time. "Ah, it's late. Do you guys want to stay over? I mean, you two do not have homework and the timetable is the same for tomorrow after all."

Fuji and Tezuka nodded. "Sure!"

Sometime late at night, Candice returned. However, the rest were asleep by then. She went to her room and found Tezuka sleeping on her floor. She frowned, and went to Ryoma's room. She opened the door, and found Ryoma cuddled against Fuji. She went back to her room, being careful not to tread on her temporary roommate and climbed to bed.

The next day, the foursome went to school (in silence) to find the student whispering and murmuring.

"Hey, did you hear?"

"She had a slit on her throat! Just like that!"

"I wonder why she did this."

"I didn't know she had problems that she couldn't solve. I wonder why we didn't notice it ealier?"

Ryoma frowned. His went to his first period English, and waited for Serina-sensei, the oh-so-hated teacher right now.

She didn't show up.

"Where's Serina-sensei?" Ryoma asked Rein.

"Didn't you hear, Echizen?" said his classmate, Rein. "Serina died last night. She silted herself three times on the forearm."

Ryoma raised his eyebrows. "Did she now?" said Ryoma. Just then, the door opened, and the new teacher came in. "Good morning, everyone. I am Tanaka-sensei, and I will be taking over Serina-sensei for English. Yoroshiku!"

Ryoma had a hunch, and he made a mental note to comfirm it during lunch

During lunch, Ryoma ran up the rooftop to have lunch. He found his mentor there. Luckily she was alone. He can ask the question without the risk of anyone hearing it.

"Candice." he said. His mentor slowly turned, and raised an eyebrow, indicating him to go on.

"Were you the one who killed Serina-sensei?"

**BP: writer's block, thanks to homework. I only had half an hour to type this, so may be bad. Please review though!**


	9. The Call and the message

**BP: Really angry today (read chapter two author notes of Seishun Alice Gakuen to find out why). Seriously, who does that person think he/she is? All I can say is that that person's a coward and really only think of his/her own interests. Does he/she really think his taste is everyone's taste? Seriously. If I ever met that person, I am really going to give that person a good punch in the face.**

Candice inwardly smirked. She knew Ryoma would come to ask her about Serina's death. She gave Ryoma her sweet smile, and said, "You can say that, but to be frank, I didn't even touch her." That statement alone gave Ryoma the answer. Candice has somehow killed without touching a person.

Ryoma remembered how others describe Candice after she won. "She can be cold-hearted and cruel since she cares for no one but herself and she will do all means to stay alive. It's ironic, considering how sweet and caring she used to be before she entered the Games." Since he never really sees her much, he just brushed it off. However, when he was forced under Candice's care during the Hunger Games, she had a sweet smile plastered on her face, and willingly helped him through his Hunger Games. He wondered if the sentence, "The sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets." Could her very determined spirit and her motto's, "Never Lose!" and "Never Give up!" be all a façade? Could the calm, collected and with a happy expression on her face is being used to fool others?

"Why did you do that?" said Ryoma.

"Who knows? Sometimes I don't even know why I do such things." Candice smiled and stared dreamily at the sky, which made Ryoma unsure of her thoughts.

"Maybe is because my whole family is dead. Maybe is because my best friend betrayed me. Hmm…why I do such things, I wonder…but then again, I should eliminate the second option."

"Why?" Ryoma asked curiously. "What happened to her?"

Candice gave Ryoma her usual sweet smile, and traced a finger around her throat. "Seems like the Peacekeepers thought I still cared for my best friend when I said No to President Snow. On the contrary, I was happy they killed her in front of me."

Ryoma took a small step back. "H-h-how could you feel this?"

Candice shrugged. "I don't know. I have nobody left I love anyway, so I don't care anymore. All I am here for is to care for you. Anyway, I am not angry about the Capitol taking them away from me." However, despite her convincing tone and expression, Ryoma could tell she is angry….very angry, to the point of wanting revenge. He made a mental note to enlist Fuji's and Tezuka's help. As he contemplated this, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Well, see you later." said Candice, walking away. However, something dropped from her pocket. It was her phone. Ryoma tried to call her back, but she was already gone. Ryoma shrugged, and placed Candice's phone in his pocket. He can always return the phone to her after school.

After school, on the way to meet Candice at the gates, he stopped by the tennis courts, and looked for Fuji and Tezuka. Fortunately for him, he found them alone at the clubroom, changing out of their jersey. "Fuji, Tezuka." He called out. The said boys looked up. "Ah, nice to see you, Echizen." said Fuji. He looked at Ryoma's eyes, which reflected worry, although his face was expressionless. "What's wrong?"

"It's Candice."

"What about her?"

Ryoma sighed. "I think she's hiding something. I bet the Capitol has done something to her that she didn't tell me."

Tezuka and Fuji's eyes widened. Although they don't really know Candice well, they were sure it's pretty unlikely for the sweet smiling girl to be hiding something. She seemed like an open minded person, talking about all sorts of things. Then again, appearances don't really help you tell the person's personality. Just then, the phone in Ryoma's pocket vibrated. "Unknown" flashed on the screen. Ryoma merely placed the ringing phone back in the pocket. The ringtone kept playing until the line was cut off. Then, the ringtone played again and again. It seemed to play forever. Just then, Candice walked in, saying, "Ryoma, would yo-" She was cut off when she heard her phone ringing. She snatched the phone from his hands, and she hit the pick-up button. May as well get this over and done with.

"Hello?" said Candice, as the four walked out of the gates together.

"I have called you many times but you did not pick up, Candice. Don't tell me you forgot about me. Have you been cheating on me? You're such a bad girl." Candice nearly dropped her phone. How did he know her number?

She turned away from the three of them and whispered in the phone, "We broke up already, you idiot!"

"Oh? We will be back together soon, sweetheart. Oh, and my sweet darling sister Penelope will take Ryoma. She's more than willing to have him as a soul mate." Candice blanched.

"You wouldn't-" Candice hissed.

"Oh I would. Besides, Candice, I am coming to Japan."

Candice gasped and looked around desperately. Sweat came pouring down from her forehead. The three boys looked at her worriedly.

"No, don't!"

"I'm coming. In fact, we are coming in around a week, to claim you both."

"NO!" Candice screamed the sentence loudly. It was then she realized her mistake. She quickly slammed her phone, and placed it in her pocket. Plastering a smile, she said, "Er….I was practicing a line for a play?"

Ryoma snorted. "Yeah right. Now tell us who that was."

Candice tried to breathe slowly, trying to calm herself down. She looked at her scar-free arm. It was as if she could see the words, "Richard's property" engraved on her arm again, along with a few hearts. She shook that thought out of her head, and said, "No it's nothing. Really, it's fine." She walked out of the clubroom, only to have Tezuka grab on to her arm. "Very funny, Weinstein. Spill it out." Candice began to hyperventilate, and she took deep breaths to calm down. All she could think of was that person, the measure he will take just to keep her by his side. She only escaped because she was reaped in the Games. If not, she would still be in his prison. She had to handle this herself. She must handle this herself. Ryoma's safety is her first priority. She has promised his parents she will take care and protect him. She smiled at them, but her heart hurt. "No, it's nothing really." She wrenched her arm from Tezuka's grip, and said, "I'm going in the house first. I'll see you two in school tomorrow." Ryoma frowned at her back and turned to them. "I think she's hiding something." Fuji and Teuzka nodded. "I'll get the information, and tell you if I have any leads." They nodded again, bade farewell to Ryoma, and Ryoma followed Candice in the house.

At some point during dinner, Candice's phone vibrated with a message. Candice took the phone, read it, and bit her lip, looking like she wanted to scream. She held the phone like it was a bomb, threw it back on the couch, and returned to her dinner. While Candice was taking a bath, Ryoma secretly took her phone and checked her messages. He selected the first one he saw, the one Candice received during dinner.

To: Candice  
From: Unknown

It's time to come back to your master little victor. We'll be coming to get you and your little protégé soon, I promise that.

P.S: You should know who this is, if you don't then you're a very bad victor. Penelope sends her love to Ryoma.

Ryoma paled. No wonder Candice didn't say anything about it. She didn't want him to worry. In fact, it was as if she is trying to handle this herself. He looked at the closed shower door. 'So you cared after all.' She was lying when she said she didn't really care. According to some of his older friends, she didn't have any friends back in junior high and was an anti-social. However, with her cheerful attitude, it was highly unlikely for her not to have any friends. Ryoma then realized, what if the reason for her not having any friends was because someone prevented it? What if that person is the one who sent the message? He heard the door unlock and quick as lightning, he placed the phone back in its original position, and slipped out the ajar door. He ran back to his room. It's time to make some phone calls.

He scrolled through his contact. Who should he contact first? Fuji or Tezuka? He contemplated for a moment, before finally scrolling to Fuji's contact. After all, he feels he get along with Fuji slightly better than Tezuka.

He pressed the Call button, and waited.

**BP: Note that I was actually playing cards while writing this story, so it may be bad. Please review though!**


	10. Romance over preparing cookies and tea

**BP: Disappointed by the lack of reviews. I need more reviews, alright, so that I am encouraged to write more. Can I have at least 8 reviews for this chapter? Also, I feel like Inui, who is always calculating the probability something is going to happen or what happened. Why? Well, I actually got the top for probability test among my class! Well, on with the story!**

Fuji picked up at the very first ring. "Hello?" said Fuji.

"Fuji." said Ryoma. "There's something I found out that you need to know." He then went on to tell Fuji about the text message Candice received this evening during dinner. There was thoughtful silence, and then Fuji slowly said, "I guess if a victor is considered highly desirable, like you and Candice, they may be forced to become a pawn in Capitol politics. Because they killed your family, they had nothing to threaten you with, and since they still want you, they will have no choice but to take you away by force. That's how it is, Echizen."

"What do I do then?" said Ryoma, panic rising inside him.

"Don't worry. Tezuka and I will make sure that Candice and you are safe. I'll come over to your house tomorrow, along with Tezuka."

"Thanks." said Ryoma. "Listen, I got to go. Uh, Fuji?"

"Yeah?"

"Er…good night."

"Good night, Echizen."

He hung up the phone. There he goes again. Why should he care about Fuji in the first place, even wishing him goodnight? He sighed. Fuji is always causing him to be vulnerable. Well, he'll see what they will say when they come over tomorrow.

Unfortunately, he forgot to tell Candice about the visit, and it was…well, a huge mistake (for Candice). Because when they came over, she was wearing her black short skirt and a red T-shirt, with her hair tied up in a ponytail, with a pink ribbon clip on the right side of her head. Imagine Candice's shock when Ryoma opened the door and there was Fuji and Tezuka. 'Oh God! The last thing I need is to let them see me in my black skirt! Gah! Ryoma should've warned me so that I could change into a pair of longer pants, and get rid of this manga.' Meanwhile, Teuzka was staring at Candice at her casual outfit. He admitted that she looked cute and preppy in her outfit and that skirt really made her legs look long. She was apparently reading a manga called "Crayon Shin-chan". Although Candice made an attempt to hide the manga, humiliated of being found reading such stuff and even going to her room to change, Tezuka said, "No, it's alright. You don't have to hide that manga. Besides, you look nice in that outfit." Candice blushed. "Oh, well, I…." she trailed off, feeling embarrassed by the compliment Tezuka gave her. "Well, I'll go get tea." She said, rushing off to the kitchen. The three of them looked at the place Candice disappeared to. "Wonder what's with her?" Ryoma wondered. Fuji got up. "Well, I'll go help her prepare the tea." He said, but he was interrupted by Teuzka, who said, "Stay here Fuji. I'll help her." Fuji sat back down, smiling. He knew that is going to happen.

Meanwhile, Candice was preparing the tea and cookies. She was frosting the cookies with flowers, when she knocked down the glass nearby. The glass dropped to the floor, shattering into a million tiny pieces. "Oh sheesh." She muttered. She bent down to pick up the pieces with her bare hands, cutting her hands in the process. "What are you doing?" said a voice. Candice whipped around, her ponytail smacking her face. It was Tezuka. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning up, of course."

"With your bare hands?" said Teuzka. "Put down those glass pieces." Candice obeyed, and Teuzka grabbed her hand to look at it. It was bleeding rather badly. "You didn't even feel the glass cutting you?" he said incredulously. Candice shrugged. She didn't seem troubled in the least at the fact that her hand was bleeding badly. Tezuka went to take some bandages from the first aid kit. He placed her hand under the sink, and let the cold water wash away the blood. He then cleaned the wound with some antiseptic cream, and then bandaged it. Candice displayed very little expression all the time. When he was done, she nodded her thanks, and went back to frosting the cookies. "Let me help you." Tezuka offered. Candice shrugged, and gave a tube of frosting cream to him.

Meanwhile, Fuji was waiting for Candice and Tezuka to prepare the tea, when Ryoma returned to the living room. "What's taking them so long?" Ryoma muttered, returning form his toilet trip. Fuji shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they are confessing their love to each other?" Ryoma was about to snort, and then stopped. Wait. Tezuka and Candice make a good pair. Both of them are smart and logical, and they are both the silent type, and they are calm and level-headed. They are also powerful in combat. Yes, those two make a compatible pair. He wished he and Fuji is like that too…..wait, what is he thinking? Fuji-senpai will never like him like that! Did he just add the "senpai" suffix behind Fuji's name? Oh God, he's getting a headache. He would like to get some aspirins, but Candice and Tezuka can be doing something else other than preparing tea. He didn't notice Fuji watching him and smiling. 'He's so cute.' thought Fuji. 'Every girl would want a guy like that right? But I won't let them. He's mine. But how do I make him mine?' he cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. "I'm going to the bathroom." Ryoma muttered, getting up. In actual fact, he needed to get away from Fuji fast, and to stop that wild heartbeat of his. He left the living room and returned to his room. Unbeknownst to him, Fuji was following him, curious as to find out why he was going to the bathroom for the umpteenth time.

Once in the "safety" of his room, Ryoma clutched to Karupin and said, "You know, Karupin, for some reason, whenever I am with Fuji-senpai, it's as I something is stuck in my throat. My heart also beats faster, and I tend to blush a lot. This never happened with the others. With the others, it's always a race to see who can get out the most words before the other interrupts. I wonder what is wrong with me. If I like him, as in like like, I bet he would laugh in my face. He doesn't even like me in that way anyway." He stroked Karupin's fur, and the cat purred. I guess it's just sickness. He will never like me in that way." He sighed, put the cat down, and said, "I better return. It's been five minutes." He opened the door to find Fuji standing outside. "F-f-Fuji?" Ryoma exclaimed. "You've been outside this whole time?"

Fuji smiled. "Of course, Ryoma." he reached out a hand, and brushed his bangs outside. "Silly boy, whatever made you think I won't like you that way?" Ryoma turned red. "Well, I…" He was cut off when Fuji pushed him against a wall, and kissed him on the lips. Ryoam groaned, as the body pinned him against the wall, and a tongue is currently stroking his own. He wrapped his arms around Fuji's neck, and pulled him closer.

They broke off. "Will you come to the school dance with me next week?" said Fuji, breathing hard. Ryoma blushed, and then nodded.

Meanwhile, Candice was brewing the tea when she caught Teuzka staring at her. "What is it, Tezuka? If you want to say something, spill." Teuzka was thinking back on Fuji's words.

"_Hey, Tezuka, do you like Candice?" said Fuji. "You have been staring at her in Chemistry class the other day."_

_Tezuka frowned at him. He was as sharp as ever. Fuji smiled. "I take that as a yes. Do you plan to ask her to the school dance next week?" Tezuka sighed. He had been asked to the dance by a countless girls, but he rejected every single one of them, as he had a certain District 7 female victor in his mind. The other day, he saw her being asked to the dance by a second year guy. He felt the urge to punch him, but was stopped by the fact that she said no to him. That was when they reached Tezuka's house, and he opened the door and went in without answering. If he had turned back, he would have seen the smile on Fuji's face._

"Candice…"

"Yeah?" said Candice, sipping the tea to taste it barely registering this is the first time he called her by her given name.

Tezuka hesitated. Should he ask her to the dance? Well, faint heart never won fair lady, right? "Will you go to the school dance with me next week?"

Candice nearly choked on her tea. What did he just say? "What?" said Candice, feeling sure she heard wrong.

"I said, would you go to the school dance with me next week, Candice."

"Wow, that's new. The Tezuka Kunimitsu asking a girl to the dance." Tezuka frowned at her. Candice laughed. "You should have seen your face. Of course I will go with you." She said, before pouring the tea in the cups, and placing them on the tray along with the teapot. "Come on, we took too long preparing the tea." She carried the tray out of the kitchen. Teuzka registered her words. She said yes? Slowly, but surely, a smile formed on his lips.

**BP: Do review, alright? I need more reviews for this story!**


	11. Dinner and entertainment

**BP: Ok, I'll say this once, and only once, I don't want to repeat my words. If you don't like this story, don't read it. You don't have to criticize it in the reviews. Your taste does not equal to everyone's taste. You may be a better writer, but really, you shouldn't criticize other's work as we all have our own style of writing. You don't like it, don't read it. Unfortunately, I can't delete that comment because that idiot was signed in when the idiot commented. Well, if you agree with that person, don't say anything, just click the back button. **

"Oi, tea's ready." Candice shouted to the stairs, which is where Ryoma and Fuji probably is at. When they came down, however, one look at Ryoma's neck and Candice threw Ryoma a scarf. "The marks on your neck are ugly. Please cover it up." Ryoma looked down. "Wha- SYUSUKE!" Ryoma yelled. Fuji merely chuckled. "Saa, that looks great on you, ne, Ryo-chan?" Candice, looking bored, said, "Could you two stop your lovey-dovey acts and get on to business already."

"Ah, come on Candice, you're just-" however, Fuji was cut off when Candice pointed a pistol at him. Apparently, she had guns strapped on her upper thigh, but they were covered by her skirt. Ryoma widened his eyes. "Is that the pearl-handled pistol you bought from the Mercantile before we came to Japan?" said Ryoma. "Was it the one that was artfully displayed on that bolt of red velvet in the counter located at the far corner of the room?"

"Oh yeah, it costs $35.95. This gun is pretty nice-looking, so I figured I'd use some of my winnings to buy this gun, along with a few ladies ribbons too." She spun the gun in her hand, pointed it at Fuji again, and said, "Listen up, mister, now that you are dating my protégé, you make sure you treat him well, or else I'll make sure you're the first to try out this gun. In no circumstances are you going to break his heart. Do you understand me?"

Fuji nodded. "Yes."

She lowered the gun, and strapped it back underneath her skirt. She sat down on the couch, and said, "First things first. We all know the Capitol is after me and Ryoma, right?"

"That's right." said Tezuka, taking a cookie from the plate. "The Capitol wasn't happy with both of you running away. They seem to be dead set on you being a pawn for the Capitol, especially your ex-boyfriend and his sister. If I am not wrong, he loved you to the extent of abusing you, right?"

"Duh. That's why I broke up with him in front of the whole school. He came to 7 because of Capitol business, and forced me to go out with him, or else he'd take my family's home away. My family then agreed, and I was forced to date him, until I was reaped for the Games. He tried to take me back after I won, but then I humiliated him during the Victory Tour."

"Victory Tour?"

"Following each Hunger Games, the Capitol runs a Victory Tour that features the victor of the previous Games traveling around Panem. It is actually designed to lower the districts' self-esteem. To show off the power the Capitol has over them, the Tour is placed almost halfway between the annual Games in order to "keep the horror fresh and immediate". It begins in District 12 and then goes in descending order to District 1, followed by the Capitol. The winner's district is skipped and saved for last. As a general rule, all the districts are supposed to act happy and cheer on the victor, although many of them are very bitter and angry at the loss of loved ones." Ryoma started to explain.

"Of course. Who wouldn't?" Fuji muttered.

"Generally, those who go on the Tour are the respective victor and his or her mentor, escort, prep team, and stylist. Like the Games, the Tour is televised. The tour was very hard for us to go through since many times in the different districts we saw the family and friends of those tributes killed in the arena, some of them by our own hand." Candice concluded, sipping her tea. "But the horrors that await us is looming closer." She said, sighing.

"True. But when the time comes, I am sure we will defend each other and have each other's backs, ne, Syusuke?"

"That's right, Ryo-chan. I will make sure both of you won't become a pawn for the Capitol." He replied, hugging Ryoma. Ryoma blushed and half-heartedly struggled to get out of his grip. Candice sighed. "Call me when those two are finished." She muttered to Tezuka, who nodded. She opened her manga and started reading. She helped herself to a Lindt truffle from a container of candy. She plucked another Lindt from the jar and tossed it to Teuzka, who was sipping his tea. He was so startled when this Lindt chocolate truffle came at him out of nowhere, so it smacked him in the collarbone and fell to the floor. He picked it up, unwrapped the chocolate and said, "You should've warned me, Candice." said Tezuka, popping the chocolate in his mouth. "Ah, but surprising you is better. You should've seen your face." said Candice, finishing the last cookie and drinking her tea, ignoring Tezuka's glare towards her.

"Ok, ok, sorry. Want to play cards?" said Candice.

"Alright." said Tezuka. "I have nothing better to do anyway."

Later….

"Got any sixes?" Tezuka asked

"Go fish." Candice replied, ignoring the public displays of affection Fuji and Ryoma is doing right now.

Tezuka frowned. He looked at his cards again. Fuji is biting at Ryoma's neck, and Ryoma is biting his lower lip to muffle his voice.

"Got any threes?" Tezuka asked.

"Go fish." Candice replied, noting that Ryoma's neck is nearly black blue in color thanks to all the bite marks Fuji made.

Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows. He looked at his pack of cards again.

"Got any twos?" Tezuka finally asked

"Go fish." Candice answered, internally sighing because those boys were exchanging saliva at an alarming rate. She prayed something will come and stop them because it's like watching a real life free graphic gay porno. Ok, not exactly, but making out is still nnot for children's eyes.

"STOP HAVING NO CARDS CANDICE!" Tezuka whisper-yelled.

Just then, the door opened, and Nanako came in, apparently home from university. Ryoma and Fuji broke off, and separated. "Oh, it's you two? Do you two want to stay for dinner?" Fuji and Teuzka nodded. "Alright. Wait for me while I prepare the dishes. Ryoma, help me this time, won't you?"

"Whatever." Candice muttered. 'That was close.' She got up, and went to the kitchen.

While in the kitchen, Nanako asked, "So, you love Fuji, huh?"

"How did you know?" said Ryoma, as he measured out two heaping tablespoons of flour for the cornbread.

Nanako frowned down into the mixing bowl. "Only one tablespoon, Ryoma-san, and not so heaping."

"I thought we usually use two?"

"That will have to last us until grocery day, which is three days later, and I need this to make your lunch too. Put it back."

Ryoma shrugged, and returned one tablespoon back to the flour sack, which is running low. "So, how did you know?" Nanako measure out the baking powder and gave it to Ryoma. It was slightly lesser than the usual amount, but he didn't question it. It was running low, and they had to wait until grocery day.

"Well, your neck tells it all." said Nanako, turning to the stove and stirring milk into the butter beans, and taking out the other ingredients for dinner. "Don't worry, love comes in all forms. I won't oppose your choice of partner. All I want is for you to be happy." She said, prodding the butter beans in the pot. She adjusted the fire and continued prodding. Ryoma registered what she said, and smiled. "Thanks, Nanako-nee-san!"

Tonight's dinner was a feat to remember.

There were brimming bowls of mashed potatoes and thick carrot soup, thick slices of ham and boiled ribs, crisply fried chicken and morsels of sausages, flaky buttermilk biscuits and crusty cornbread, flat slabs of sweet potato pie and chocolate cakes.

"Enjoy yourself." said Nanako.

"Thanks, Nanako!" the four said in unison, before helping themselves. Ryoma loaded his plate with food and sat down at the living room to eat. He wanted to watch TV while eating. Fuji sat down next to him and said, "Your cousin's a good cook." He commented. Ryoma nodded, his mouth full of sausages, cornbread and mashed potatoes. He gulped down his Ponta so that he could swallow faster and talk. "Yeah, I know." He swallowed the remaining food, and said, "Do you think that mentor of mine will figure out Tezuka's crush on her?" he said, nodding towards the pair eating at the table, the girl reading a manga while eating. The boy was trying to tell her it will cause her indigestion, but she waved it off.

"Hmm….I heard he is going to ask her to the dance that is held next week…." Fuji mused, licking his spoon.

Ryoma looked skeptical. "You sure you don't want to do something?"

"Nah, let's just watch for now. It'll be interesting to find out how long it will take…"

**BP: Please review, so that I will be encouraged to write more, but only review if you like it. Please note it may be short because I actually only had 15 minutes left on this computer and I had to make this fast.**


	12. The biggest obstacle- Aimi Saito

**BP: So tired….I hate being in my final year in high school. I got so many tests this week, and next week as well. I have to brush up on my Chemistry…it's getting from bad to worse. Oh yeah, this focuses on Candice and Tezuka this time, and there will be trouble (for them) in this chapter. Ryoma and Fuji will still appear in the chapter, but they are just helping them.**

"Hey Candice." said Ryoma, after the two boys left.

"Hmm?" Candice replied, flipping through her manga, and sipping her tea.

"Do you like Tezuka?" Ryoma replied. Candice spat out her tea, spraying the wall opposite. She got up, got a cloth, and wiped the tea and the spit on the wall. She took her time before answering, "Well…..I was actually waiting for him to ask me to the dance, that's why I said no to most of the boys…." She trailed off, wiping the same spot on the wall absent-mindedly. Ryoma jumped up. "Ah-ha! So you like him!" he shouted, pointing to Candice. Candice turned slightly red. "N-no! we are going as friends only! Yeah, as friends, so yeah, don't get the wrong idea! I'll be helping Nanako wash the dishes now, so, bye!" She collected the cloth and rushed to the kitchen. Ryoma watched the back of her with amusement. Talk about TMI. He laughed, and logged in to the computer, and received an Instant Message from Fuji.

**SeigakuTensai: **So, did you get an answer from her? You promised to ask her when we left.

Ryoma smirked, and typed in his reply.

**KarupinPrince: **Yup, she said she was waiting for him to ask her, that's why she said no to all the boys that asked her to the dance. She was blabbing like an idiot and the best part, she rushed to the kitchen as an excuse to stop our conversation. I told you she likes him as well. I highly doubt she will act on it, though, because she did have a bad break-up a few years ago.

**SeigakuTensai: **That's true. But what's more important is, we know she likes him as well, right?

**KarupinPrince: **Yeah. Too bad for the other boys, they are going to cry when they find out. After all, she is one of the best looking girls in the school, well, in my opinion anyway. Besides, most of the other girls wear make-up in the school, except for her, because she doesn't believe in 'artificial looks'.

**SeigakuTensai:** Saa,I bet it'll be interesting to see how long it will take to find out, ne?

**KarupinPrince: **Well, if anything happens that will harm the both of them emotionally, we'll have to step in. I don't want my mentor to have another breakdown.

**SeigakuTensai: **You're right. Oh, it's late, got to sleep, we have school tomorrow. Goodnight Ryo-chan!

**KarupinPrince: **Don't call me that! -.-

**SeigakuTensai: **Aww, but I love you!

**KarupinPrince: **Yeah, I love you too.

Ryoma logged off, and smiled. Candice will be surprised tomorrow.

Little did he know he was right, but it wasn't for the better.

The next day, after school….

"KUNIMITSU-KUN!"

Aimi Saito (Yup, the annoying girl from the previous chapter strikes again) was waving her hands outside the fence at him. Tezuka and the others sighed. Not her again. Well to put it exactly, she was head over heels in 'love' with Tezuka (translation: She only liked him for his looks and his talents and academic results) and she was so proud to tell the whole wide world about her 'love'. The regulars didn't like the way she behave (as she disturbs practice). Tezuka rubbed his temples, but did not say anything. He can't take action as she has not done anything to harass him, other than shouting encouragements at him (Well, not yet anyway).

Fuji was annoyed by her action so he said to the girl at the fence , "Could you please lower your volume, you are distracting all of us." He's afraid he isn't very polite.

The girl pouted on his words, "But I want to cheer on my Kunimitsu."

"Let her go, Fuji." Tezuka muttered.

"Huh? But she-" he cut himself off when Teuzka shook his head. Fuji sighed. Candice isn't going to be very happy about this.

Unfortunately for everyone, Aimi saw his reaction and began shouting again.

"I love you Kunimitsu, you're the best!" Aimi shouted.

Meanwhile, at the side of the court…..

Not far away, the two District 7 victors were standing at the side, waiting for practice to finish so that they could walk home together. The commotion from the boys' tennis team didn't leave their ears as well. They could hear Aimi's irritating voice across the court.

"That girl is really adding to the noise pollution." Ryoma muttered, eyeing the girl at the tennis court with disdain. Candice just shook her head and smiled bitterly at her protégé's comment. She bit her lip and said, "Well, she's just a fan, you can't blame her."

"Yeah. A fan of what? The team or to Tezuka?" Ryoma shot back, looking at Candice.

She flinched on his words. She then looked at the boy's court and stared at Tezuka and then to Aimi. She shrugged. "Who knows?"

"If you don't do anything, he will be taken away before you know it."

"I….I don't want to." She gulped. "Tell Fuji and Tezuka I got homework to do. I'm going home first." With that, she walked away.

2 days later, after class….

Candice yawned, as the bell for the last period rang. She decided to stay a bit longer and have her homework done, while waiting for practice to end. She was working on her Math problem, and was about to write her answer down when someone called her. "Candice." Candice looked up. It was Tezuka. "Oh, hello, Teuzka. Going to practice?" she asked, nodding towards his tennis bag.

"Yeah." Dark brown eyes stared into sapphire blue eyes. She looked down. "It's nice to see you all working hard." She smiled a secret smile, and cocked her head slightly to one side. Both gestures were not lost on Teuzka. Somehow, Tezuka found her cute on her gestured mannerisms at that moment. She is strong-willed and understanding, and she is a fun person to be with. That's why he liked the girl a lot. He made a decision at that very moment.

"Erm, Candice?"

"Yeah?"

"I-"

However, he was cut off as someone shouted "Mitsu-kun!" Oh great. Did she just call him by the latter 2 syllables of his name?

Both of them turned to see Aimi running towards them, Tezuka sighing. Candice just stared at the girl who approached Tezuka and attached her arms into his. To her surprise, the girl glared at her, before smiling at her sunnily.

"Oh, hello, Weinstein. Do you have a business with my….husband?" Both of them were shocked. What?

"Wait…what?" Teuzka was caught off-guard by her words.

"Yes, aren't you taking your wife to the dance next week, Mitsu?" she said, rubbing her head against his arm (she's rather short, unlike Candice, who has hit the 1.7m mark). Candice watched as she suddenly leaned upward to give him a peck on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on his cheek (Candice was able to confirm the unnatural rogue on her lips was due to lipstick, as she suspected).

"Yay! This lipstick mark is done by me! I am officially your wife!" she said in a sing-song voice. Candice resolutely looked down at her question. Thanks to the events, she forgot whether the answer was 98.68 or 68.98! Also, it seems that they are not going to the dance together after all.

She bit hard on her lower lip as not to scream every foul name she knows at that girl. She itched to get the pistol strapped under her skirt, but refrained from doing so. Instead, she stood up, gathered her things and said, "Well, I'm going home. I've got…tuition!" With that, she walked away, being careful not to increase her speed.

A day later….

Candice later learned that rumors spread fast. Heck, this morning, she was even forced out of her seat by his wife, leaving her to sit at the seat next to the window, which is pretty uncomfortable. Also, his wife is pretending not to be able to see the words on the screen clearly (Candice sits at the back, due to her height) and was constantly asking Teuzka to read it out for her. Candice gritted her teeth, and continued to copy down the notes the teacher showed on the screen.

"You know, you should do something about it." said Ryoma during lunch.

"Yeah, and face the wrath of that girl. Remember what she did to my uniform?" she muttered.

"According to Fuji, that….girl became more intimate with him quite quickly. Yesterday, she even handed him a water bottle she filled herself during practice, gave him a bento lunch, and even walked him to his doorstep!" He looked at Candice to see if she has any reaction, but she merely read her manga (or rather, stared at the same page). She said, "Yeah, whatever." He didn't miss the hurt in her voice.

'You're being a masochist, Candice.' Ryoma thought.

Meanwhile, Tezuka sighed. The rumors were getting from bad to worse, and it's only 2 days. He couldn't reject her because being harsh is not in his morale. He was just too kind.

And he noticed something.

Candice was avoiding him. She stopped having lunch with him, didn't even walk home together, and did not even look at him during class, nor ask him complicated questions (She asked the teacher instead). He felt he was losing before he even began. But, giving up will never be in his list of vocabulary words. In fact, he refused to lose, even if he is at a dead end, almost like Ryoma, in a sense. If he has to take action to win this, then he gladly will.

"Candice, wait up!"

Candice looked behind her only to see the captain walking towards her. She looked around and saw the girl wasn't with him today. She smiled slightly.

"What is it, Tezuka?"

"I heard from Echizen that you are going home early today."

"Yeah, I need to go home and finish up my History essay. Since History isn't my best subject, I am going to spend a longer time on it. Sorry, but I can't wait for you all today."

"Want me to help you?"

"Er…no thanks, you're having practice now, so I can't just take you because I have an essay!"

"Oishi can take over from me. Besides, the team can handle well without me, it did happen once."

Candice frowned. "That's not the way for a captain to behave."

"I know, but even captains need a break sometimes, right?" Seeing that Candice was still frowning, he said, "I did tell them I'll be with you, though."

Candice sighed. Couldn't Teuzka just make up his mind? She hated him for being so indecisive on which girl he wants; it's plain stupid to be asking two girls to the dance.

"I don't think you should do that. Your wife would be upset." Candice hissed. Tezuka's eyes widened. What did she just say? Before he could say anything, she went on, "Besides, I bet you're lying when you asked me to the dance. Enjoy it with your wife. I need to go, sorry for wasting your time." but before she could get away, Tezuka grabbed her wrist. Candice looked down at their hands, frowning. "Look, I need to…" they were cut off by someone shouting "Mitsu-kun! There you are!" Aimi was running towards them and she didn't like the scene that she was seeing at all. She quickly approached the two when she noticed their hands together.

"Hey! Weinstein, why are you holding my beloved's Mitsu's hand?"

"It's not what you think." said Candice, withdrawing her hand, and shooting a "this-is-all-your-fault" look to Tezuka.

Aimi looked at her and then grabbed Tezuka's hand, "I should be the one doing it, I'm his wife after all."

"Saito!" Tezuka said exasperatedly.

"Aimi! Call me Aimi!" then she looked at Candice who was watching the scene with a deadpan expression, "Sorry, Weinstein, no matter how popular or pretty you are you will never win the heart of any boy. You are so tomboyish and your skirt is not short enough. I bet you will never win the heart of a boy, let alone the heart of my man. Back. Off!"

Her eyes widened and she couldn't react on her words. That was saying something as her reaction time is very good, having been in the Games once. She looked at them, Aimi was smirking. The girl had lots of guts to tell her thoughts on her face. Tezuka himself didn't do anything to stop her. Without any hesitation, she simply bowed in front of them and said, "I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow." As she walked past Tezuka, she muttered, "I thought you were better than that. I guess I was wrong." She then walked towards the school gates out of the school.

Aimi looked at the retreating back of the female victor.

"Huh, for a genius, she's such a softie" Aimi commented, "I can so easily deal with her." she said gripping Tezuka's arm tighter.

"You have gone too far."

"Eh?" Aimi looked at him, "What are you talking about Tezuka-kun?"

"Saito-san, I am sorry but this is too much." The boy pulled his arm from her and faced her seriously, "Stop spreading the false rumors already. You are hurting someone else."

Aimi was shocked on his words and shortly replied, "What? I am not hurting someone else. Mitsu, I am just proud of having you-"

"I am not going to have you as my wife or girlfriend or anything," He said firmly. His tone made her flinch. "You are crossing the line so please stop doing things that others might believe."

"I don't want it."

"You have to accept this, Saito-san."

"I said I don't want it! Why, Mitsu-kun? Am I not good enough for you?"

"No, I never said that to you, right? It's because…" Tezuka tried to tell her in a gentle way. "It's wrong to claim a guy you admire as your husband!"

"I don't care if it's wrong or not! I like you, Mitsu-kun! Don't leave me…" Aimi whined.

"I'm sorry." He replied, and left to go after Candice. It's rude to end a conversation as serious as this like that, but well, even Teuzka has his breaking point, right?

Later…..

Candice was on the way to her room when she heard voices. That's weird. Who is Nanako talking to?

"Is Candice home, Meino-san?" Candice nearly fell. That voice belongs to Tezuka.

"Yes, she got home just now. I think she said something about homework. She's currently in the kitchen now getting snacks." Crap! Candice quickly wore her shoes, and ran out of the back door, just as the kitchen door opened. "Ara? Where is she?" said Nanako. Tezuka saw the slightly ajar kitchen door, and ran out after Candice.

She finally lost him, she was certain. He was inconveniently fast, thanks to his tennis training. She ran around the area, trusting her instincts, like she did during her Games. She ended up at the trees near the training grounds, a place Ryoma took her for training once before when she first came to Japan. 'Now what?' she thought.

Then an idea struck her. 'That's it! The trees!' She climbed up one, and thanks to her training, she was able to climb at least 25 feet up. 'Now, we wait.' she thought, satisfied that she lost him.

Or not.

"Candice!" She froze at the sound of his voice, frantically looking for her. She turned at his direction. He was standing there on the grounds and was looking around. She was sure she lost him! How? "Ryoma…" she said inaudibly under her breath. Well, time for Plan B. she balanced herself on the branch, and leaped to the other tree. She continued to leap from tree to tree. 'Nice, this is one advantage on the Hunger Games training.' She thought, leaping from one tree to the other. She leaped to the next tree….

…only to lose her balance.

'Well, let's just pray hope I don't break any bones.' Candice thought, as she fell towards the ground. When she was 10 feet above the ground (and still falling fast), she closed her eyes, knowing she will hit the ground any second. Yup. The ground is very soft. And warm too…

She opened her eyes, expecting that she's in heaven. She must have broken her neck or skull at that picosecond she landed on her ground, giving her a quick death (she had watched people break their necks and skulls from falling off trees in previous Games, and thought the same thing happened to her). Imagine her surprise (and disappointment) when she saw Teuzka's relieved smile.

"Tezuka!" Candice shouted. Wait, wasn't he way at the other side of the training ground? 'He's fast.' Candice thought. She struggled to get out, but his arms seemed to be stiff. Candice widened her eyes, as a memory of Ryoma telling Candice about his arm resurfaced. "Your arm…"

"It's alright, Candice." He placed her down, but did not let go of her fully. One hand was around her waist. Candice looked around, expecting that fangirl to come running after her again, like she always did these past few days. "It's ok, Candice. She's not going to come after me anymore." Candice narrowed her eyes. "And why would that be?" she asked, keeping her voice even.

Tezuka sighed. "Because, I told her I have someone else now."

Candice looked mildly interested. "Really? Who?"

And that's when Teuzka kissed her.

**BP: Yup, I am evil in that way, to put an end to this suddenly. Note that I only have 15 minutes to type this, so it may be bad. Do review, though!**


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